Tim Wylton

 

Tim Wylton:  

In some ways the epitome of the ubiquitous character actor, but Welsh-born Tim Wylton is a respected thesp with a long line of successes behind him. Often portraying a likeable duffer, Wylton's open expression and precise comedic timing has seen him appear in some large-scale productions.

'The Dustbinmen' L-R Tim Wylton, Trevor
Bannister, Bryan Pringle, Graham Haberfield

Starting out in the '60s with roles in various television plays, his first big break was as Eric in 'The Dustbinmen', a now largely forgotten Granada sitcom but one that was popular at the time. Apart from this regular role, he settled into a steady stream of small one-off parts through the late '60s and '70s, including 'The Strange Report', 'The Liver Birds', and the domestic bliss sitcom triumvirate of 'My Good Woman', 'Now, Take My Wife' and 'His and Hers'. He was also a regular stooge to veteran comedian Harry Worth in his series 'Half and Hour's Worth'.  

As postman Willy Nilly in 'Under Milk Wood (1972)

Around this time he also found himself in a pair of interesting feature films: the Richard Burton-helmed 'Under Milk Wood' (1972) and the school-drama oddity Melody (1971). And, although he never lost his knack for comedy, casting directors now started to find him invaluable for small but memorable drama roles, including 'The Strauss Family', 'Thriller', 'Special Branch', 'Telford's Change' and 'The Sweeney'.  

In 'The Colour of Blood', an episode of Brian Clemens'
popular 'Thriller' drama thread from the '70s

Into the '80s, and period drama became a bigger part of his skill set, with appearances in 'To Serve Them All My Days', 'The Citadel', and 'The Good Companions' while keeping his hand in with the comedies, such as 'Bit Of A Do', 'Cockles', Whoops Apocalypse' and  the previously discussed 'Mog' with Enn Reitel. Other popular shows that he appears would include: 'Juliet Bravo', 'Strangers' and 'Bulman', 'A Very Peculiar Practice', 'C.A.T.S Eyes', 'The Bretts' and the Peter Davison 'Campion' series.    

In David Nobbs' comedy of northern manners,
'A Bit Of A Do' 

In the later phases of his career he has done some good comedy: 'French & Saunders', 'Absolutely Fabulous', Haryy Enfield & Chums', and so on, while keeping his hand in with the likes of primetime stuff like 'Poirot', 'Lovejoy', 'Boon', 'Wycliffe', 'Cadfael', 'Rumpole Of The Bailey', 'A Touch Of Frost', and some fodder such as 'The Bill', 'Heartbeat', 'Doctors' and forays into soaps  - 'Coronation Street' and 'Emmerdale'. 

As Mr Gardiner in the 1995 BBC production of 'Pride
 and Prejudice' with Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle.

All in all, an interesting collection, so a salute is long overdue.   

Tim Wylton-imdb

Michael Deeks

 

Michael Deeks:   

An angelic jack-the-lad type of the '70s variety, Michael Deeks got a taste of the big time playing Swiftnick in the well-crafted and very popular teatime series 'Dick Turpin', an excellent comic foil and sidekick to Richard O'Sullivan in the lead role. Prior to that he had been seen in a few small roles in the early and mid-'70s, including 'The Tomorrow People', 'Within These Walls' and the original BBC version of the Borstal drama 'Scum', although not the film remake.  

Young highwayman Swiftnick meets his hero Dick Turpin
for the first time, under rather trying circumstances
 

With his mixture of wide-eyed innocence and puckish delinquency, Michael Deeks was cast in a variety of contemporary and period dramas, one of the more substantial of these was the intricate six-part Armchair Thriller story, 'The Circe Complex'. He plays prisoner Cat Devlin, persuaded to extract information from a fellow inmate, a canny jewel thief. He was also in a TV 'Hammer House Of Horror' and in the quite atmospheric TV play 'Tarry Dan Tarry Dan Spooky Old Man', which survives as a blurry YouTube video here.         

With an avuncular Arthur Daley (George Cole) in 'Minder' 

Perhaps inevitably, with the passing of these twinkly teenage years, he found himself as just one of many young male actors competing for jobs, and the plum roles dried up. A definite prune was the annoyingly silly (even for an '80s  kids' show) 'Galloping Galaxies' in which he appears as a dim robot amid the usual slapstick and feeble jokes. Rather better were roles in 'Juliet Bravo' and that episode of 'Minder' where Mel Smith plays an unscrupulous pop manager faking his star's death.   

Slightly channelling Dudley Sutton's Tinker Dill 
in the kids' show 'Bad Boyes' from the late '80s  

He's in one of those star-studded corporate training videos made by John Cleese's Video Arts Ltd, but sadly it's rather hard to see these unless you're a corporation. And an amusing episode of the always decent 'Strangers', dealing with modern day highwaymen. But, after a single episode of 'The Bill', it seems that he retired from acting and became landlord of a pub in the home counties for a time.

In any case, a salute is due. Cheers and your very good health.             

Michael Deeks-imdb

John Castle

John Castle:

A serious actor, strikingly handsome in a sullen way, looking rather like a cross between Derek Jacobi and Oliver Reed. Trained at RADA, he hit the acting scene with a modest bang, securing early appearances in 'Blow Up' (1966), 'The Lion in Winter' (1968), and the most talked-about TV show of the day, 'The Prisoner', though he didn't seem to quite grab the public imagination like some of his illustrious young contemporaries. He played Caesar in Charlton Heston's unloved film version of 'Antony & Cleopatra' (1972) and the Duke in 'The Man of La Mancha' (1972), but then things seemed to go a little bit quiet.  

As Number 12 in 'The Prisoner' episode 'The General'

At the circus with Charlton Heston in 'Antony & Cleopatra' (1972)

There was a certain amount of television drama in the late '60s and early '70s, such as Johnny Speight's 'If There Weren't Any Blacks You'd Have to Invent Them' and a sprinkling of one-offs like 'ITV Sunday Night Theatre', and 'The Wednesday Play'. His next high profile role was as Postumus in the BBC's toga-ripper 'I, Claudius', which seemed to kick-start another spate of varyingly prestigious work. There are quite a few costume dramas and period pieces, which seem to suit his austere, brooding presence, such as 'The Fight Against Slavery', 'King John', 'Lillie', 'Penmarric' and a Jeremy Brett 'Sherlock Holmes'. He also plays Teddy, the destructive love-interest in 'The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie' with Geraldine McEwan. There were also a few action and police jobs like 'Strangers', 'The New Avengers', 'Softly, Softly' and 'The Professionals'. Not much in the way of comedy.

In the BBC's 2013 Christmas ghost story, MR James's "The Tractate Middoth'

The '80s and beyond have seen more of the same on TV, with the emphasis on providing some slightly sinister class to cosy crimes, ho-hum hospitals and political potboilers. Less cosy, perhaps, was the unenviable job of portraying racist historian David Irving in 'The Holocaust on Trial'. The big screen has also not been as forthcoming with good parts as one might hope, offering only the likes of 'RoboCop 3' (1995), Finnish mid-ocean thriller 'Merisairas' (1996), the Richard Gere Old Testament epic, 'King David (1985) and a few others.   

He is, however, in the excellent Mark Gatiss adaptation of the MR James ghost story, 'The Tractate Middoth', which is where I was reminded of his great presence and ability. 

Salvte. 

John Castle - imdb

John Tordoff

John Tordoff: 

I believe he retired from professional acting a few years ago – and now designs gardens and paints in Cambridge – but he's a welcome sight whenever he pops up in roles as put-upon coppers, harassed officials, and quizzical passers-by. He has a distinctive, slightly nasal, twang to his voice, and his downbeat, measured delivery often serves to suggest a level of intellectual depth and dignified patience, even to the most modest role. 

In a 1970s  advert for Formica worktops, dealing with
a very insistent, out of shot, Brian Murphy and Hilda Braid 

With Robin Nedwell in the LWT series 'Doctor On The Go'

Seen in TV including 'Campion', 'The Sweeney', 'The Rivals Of Sherlock Holmes', 'Citizen Smith', 'Coronation Street' (as three different characters, in '68, '78 and '99), and, more memorably for me, 'Murder Most English: A Flaxborough Chronicle' as ghoulish forensic officer Mr Warlock. 

Delivering his forensic report in 'A Flaxborough Chronicle'

Starstruck at meeting Sherlock Holmes in 'Without A Clue' (1988) 

Film parts range from a tiny role in a cafe scene in 'Billy Liar' (1963) to 'Without A Clue' (1988),  Michael Winner's 'Parting Shots' (1999) and 'Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves' (1991).

In an episode of 'The Sweeney'

As the Sheriff of Nottingham's scribe in
'Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves' (1991)

As he was born locally to me, in Rochester, Kent, an almost exact contemporary of my dad, it's a particular pleasure to salute him and his work.  

John Tordoff - imdb profile

Peter Armitage

Peter Armitage: 

† Oct 23 1939 – Nov 30 2018

Rugged northern fellow probably best-known as Bill Webster in 'Coronation Street' or as the Yellow Pages advert dad who laments 'I were right about that saddle, though'. Like many authentic salt of the earth-type character actors, he came through the Joan Greenwood/Harry H Corbett-mentored East-15 acting school and went on to appear in TV roles in 'The Sweeney', 'The Professionals', 'Strangers', 'G.B.H', and the inevitable 'Holby City'/'Casualty'/'The Royal'. Lots of "By 'eck, think on mind..." etc

Peter Armitage - imdb

James Warrior

James Warrior: 

The perennial worried Welshman in a brown suit, his first roles included harrassed coppers in 'Budgie' and 'The Sweeney', but he has played town councillors, reporters, landlords, con-men, miners and cab drivers with some of the quirky elan of Gorden Kaye, if not quite Roy Kinnear. 

In the BBC play 'The Comedians'

As Mr Babbacombe in 'The Fall And
Rise Of Reginald Perrin'

I liked him as Mr Meredith ("it's Me-RED-ith") in the unlamented comedy 'Glamour Girls'. After a few years brewing real ale in Cornwall, he's more recently been focusing on voiceover acting work.

The slightly uncouth DC Jellyneck in 'The Sweeney' 

As James Berry the hangman in 'Cribb'

James Warrior - imdb profile